Ain’t they S’well? (something of use)
Posted: April 26, 2019 Filed under: Accessories, Home and Garden | Tags: BDSM, D/s, dievca, Life, NYC, practical, S'well bottle, Shopping, submissive, travel, traveling, useful, water 3 Comments
Peridot
Green for Coffee, Orange for Tea.
Try not to mix them.
It works.
dievca was gifted her green S’well bottle about 5 years ago. The orange one she bought on eBay. The bottles fit into her bike water bottle holder or in her backpack. It keeps her coffee or tea warm for hours. The bottles are bright enough to see at 5 am and also hard to lose at work. They have been dropped in the middle of 34th Street and survived traffic.
They do not leak, they can be rinsed easily, they take a beating, they come in many colors, they are stainless steel = no food staining or odors, the bottles fit in a car drink holder and they replace plastic water bottles or coffee cups.
Price point – $25 to $45 depending upon size
Something very useful!
Birds of Paradise
In 2010, Sarah Kauss launched S’well with the mission to rid the world of plastic water bottles. She believed that if her company made a crave-worthy bottle that combined fashion with function, people would stop buying disposable bottles and it could cut single-use plastic consumption worldwide. It was an audacious goal, but Sarah knew the world needed S’well.
Seven years later, S’well is the fastest growing woman-owned company in the country! The fan base has been built by word of mouth, one enthusiastic user to another. S’well is making a big difference by helping keep single-use plastic out of landfills and waterways.
(click graphic to link to the full article)
Which pattern is your favorite S’well?
Useful in the City….Backpacks
Posted: April 12, 2019 Filed under: Accessories | Tags: backpack, BDSM, Bicycle, cycling, D/s, dievca, fashion, Life, NYC, practical, Shopping, submissive, travel Leave a comment
EMMA GLOVER “NAKED” BACKPACKS @ LOADED MAGAZINE
It’s not elegant, it’s not “pretty” – but for a dievca with back issues and someone who bikes to work — it’s a necessity.
Have you ever biked with a Tote Bag on your shoulder? Brutal.
That said, dievca tries to mix it up with styles and colors. Some of her backpacks are selected for rainy days, some are just practical “go to” bags and some are the closest thing to elegant you can get in a backpack.
Yes, dievca has a lot of backpacks… but she sold or gave away many of her crossbody, shoulder bags and totes — she kept only the excellent basics and/or heartfelt memory bags. dievca did keep a number of evening bags / small bags that fit into her backpacks and will finish a outift properly.
dievca’s backpacks in current rotation:
Jack Gomme Lami Backapck
Note: a couple of backpacks dievca has shown in the past have bitten the dust – fallen apart, faded or got stained so badly…. she really uses this type of bag…something useful!
The only backpack dievca is lusting over at the moment is from the French brand Jack Gomme:
(she blew her $ on that Issey Miyake Bao Bao black backpack…totally worth it.)
Jack Gomme color options
Something useful: a progression of Winter Boots
Posted: February 15, 2019 Filed under: Shoes | Tags: BDSM, boots, D/s, dievca, Life, Love, practical, Shoe fetishism, Shopping, submissive, Winter, Winter boots Leave a commentYears ago, dievca wore Uggs. They were toasty and warm, but perhaps didn’t have the best “look”. The multi-colored zipper was interesting, though.
She moved on to a pair of shearling/suede high tops that were made in Turkey and “off brand”. They were amazing, until they finally disintegrated. She went on the quest for something similar and failed.
She found a pair of Ganni Masha Texas shearling Boots on eBay, but they were just that bit too small and not really warm, so she sold them.
Yes, the Canadian Cougar Pillow Boot are still in rotation and still amazing/useful, but dievca likes to have a lower profile boot in rotation for easy slip-on, without the red interior.
Which brings us to the surprise boot. Something dievca bought for $99 at an end-of-season sale, last Spring. The move was a desperate attempt to replace those shearling high tops. These boots sat in her closet all Summer and she was going to sell them because she thought they looked “clunky”, until a cold day called for a quick slip-on with a low profile.
The Technica Monaco Shearling Moon Boot have become a staple and the compliments received have been in large numbers. It’s crazy. All because of a spontaneous buy of a sales item that dievca wasn’t sure about keeping:
If you are interested in a pair, they have them at MyTheresa, just click here. But, dievca hates to tell you…they are full price. ($214)
Safety First! – something useful
Posted: December 14, 2018 Filed under: Accessories, Analysis, Home and Garden | Tags: BDSM, bruise, Cosco, D/s, dievca, Life, NYC, practical, safety, Shopping, Step Stool Ladder, submissive, useful 2 Comments
When dievca was in College she lived in an older dorm that had deep oak window frames/casings which went up almost to the 12 foot ceilings. After doing laundry at 3:00 am, she stood on the sofa and when that didn’t work, the windowsill, to hang up a sweatshirt on a hanger to dry from the window rod.
she slipped, she fell, she sounded like an elephant when she ricocheted off the window ledge hitting the right side of her back thigh, she hit the floor, she woke her roommate. The bruising was huge and you can still feel the ledge-shaped divet in her muscle/fat…yep, just checked – still there.
What dievca learned is that you should own decent step ladders, AND USE THEM!
Her NYC apartment doesn’t have ceilings quite as high as her dorm room, but they reach 9 feet in some areas. That makes painting a wall without an extension pole a little too much for dievca – but with the 3 step-ladder? A snap!
Something that has traveled with dievca from space to space are the two Cosco Step Ladders from Bed, Bath and Beyond. The two-step and three-step versions:
Cosco® Signature Premium Folding Step Stool (click photo to purchase)
At $29.99 and $39.99 — an excellent and useful buy. They fit behind opened doors or in closets.
When getting on in age, the bruises don’t fade as fast and braking a bone is a more likely option~
Yeah…
juliyalavrova: Photo by Anna Durova
Finding your Nude – a Lingerie Guide
Posted: December 6, 2018 Filed under: lingerie | Tags: BDSM, D/s, dievca, Elegant, erotic, fashion, Life, nude, practical, Presentation Outfits, Shopping, submissive, Undergarments 5 CommentsSometimes you want your lingerie to stand out and sometimes you want it to disappear.
Getting it to disappear is the harder challenge.
~dievca
Shopping for so-called “nude” lingerie can be a source of incredible frustration for people. dievca? Her skintone goes yellow/olive in winter and brown bear in the Summer. Most items labeled nude are in fact a specific kind of peachy light beige, aka the skin color of some white people. What doe you do if you are mixed-race or a delightful chocolate, maybe a Latte color?
Well, there are lingerie companies out there trying to offer matches. Here are 13 who are still giving it a go in 2018-2019.
Nudz: Nudz offers 10 different skin tone shades inspired by well-known celebrities (Scarlett, Sophia, Adriana, Eva, Zoe, Kerry, Gabrielle, Tika, Lupita, and Alek). All of the underwear is mesh, but comes in different cuts in sizes S–XL.
Naja: This LA-based eco-conscious underwear company offers items in seven different skin tone shades. There’s a lot to choose from: Panty options include briefs, high-waisted briefs, bikinis, thongs, and cheekies in sizes XS–2XL. Nude T-shirt bras are available in A–E cups, with band sizes from 32 to 40.
Spanx: If you’re on the hunt for shapewear, you can find various color options depending upon the product. 4 colors for the Seamless Skinny Britches thigh length shape wear and more for nylon tights.
Hanro: Hanro’s cotton thongs, full briefs, briefs, and shorts (up to XL) and bras (up to 38E) are available in five skin shades. Plus, all the underwire bras contain metal hardware that is free of nickel, chrome, and cobalt.
Love and Nudes: Love & Nudes is the creation of Chantal Carter. Chantal has previously worked as a fashion editor, wardrobe stylist, and product developer – and was motivated to start Love & Nudes by the ‘glaring absence’ and misrepresentation of everyday products for women of color.
ThirdLove: ThirdLove, a direct-to-consumer brand with a robust try-before-you-buy program. T-shirt, full-coverage, and push-up bras are available in cup sizes AA through G, including signature half-cup sizes, and band sizes range from 28 to 42; thongs, bikinis, and cheekies come in XS to XL.
Smart & Sexy: Smart & Sexy is a woman-owned brand that makes gorgeous and comfortable underwear – for very affordable prices. Smart and Sexy is the in-house brand for Ariela and Associates – which just happens to be the one of the largest privately held lingerie companies in the USA, selling millions of garments under a plethora of national brands.
Nude Barre: In addition to tights, this hosiery brand also sells a seamless thong that comes in 12 different nude shades.
Rose LeMarc: There is precious little public information available about the brand Rose LeMarc (launched in the summer of 2017). Our thoughts are that they seem to be a Chinese based company who have registered a series of trademarks include ‘Nude Revolution’ and ‘Nude Confidence’. These guys are definitely new to the scene. The strapless stick-on bras and nipple covers come in multiple colors.
Nubian Skin: Four skin tones are offered in both lacy and smooth nylon styles, and a page on the website helpfully shares a guide to which popular foundation shade matches each tone offered. Bras are available in A–G cups, with band sizes up to 40; thongs, boy shorts, and bikini briefs go up to size 2XL.
Buff You Intimates: Rae & Alex, the founders of Buff You Intimates – like so many other FleshTone brands – cite the frustration with ‘beige’ as the ‘standard’ as the impetus for the creation of their brand. Buff You Intimates describe nude underwear as ‘the professional woman’s hidden armour’.
TruNude: Tech-geeking your skintone -“The TruNude website, which is optimized for Apple and Android, and allows you to get matched in just four steps: First, you snap your selfie and get your Personal Color Code. Second, you select your garment. Next, you get fit. Lastly, you finalize your purchase and get your bra.”
BeingU: Entrepreneur Sadia Sisay launched BeingU in 2016, citing her daughter as her main inspiration: “I am determined to ensure she grows up in a world that celebrates women of all shapes, shades and sizes,”
Now, dievca went to all this work for a type of lingerie which Master does not like – but she needs it for under certain clothing. Her practical streak is coming out. XO
A “Thank You” to Fleshtone.net, Racked.com, and The Lingerie Addict
Sharing something useful…
Posted: November 9, 2018 Filed under: Accessories, Analysis, Home and Garden | Tags: BDSM, D/s, dievca, Life, Master, NYC, Party, plasticware, practical, rooftop, safety, Shopping, submissive, usable goods, wind 3 Comments
#2 Tossware
Yikes! Rooftops in NYC are really windy and it’s not safe to have crystal wineglasses get knocked over or break on the concrete.
Tossware is a brand of reusable, recyclable crystal clear plastic-ware which is elegant for parties where traditional crystal is not a smart idea.
dievca found it very elegant to use, it washes well and stacks/stores easily for the cupboard or storage unit.
Excellent for a NYC apartment building and just as good for the Suburbia Football Saturdays grilling out on the patio.
dievca bought her Tossware on Amazon.
Take a look:
You can even go on to the Tossware site and get pieces made for your event or use their fun graphics:
Useful items in the City…
Posted: November 2, 2018 Filed under: Accessories, Analysis, Home and Garden | Tags: Baggu, BDSM, D/s, dievca, Gifts, Life, Master, NYC, practical, Shopping, submissive, usable goods 4 Comments…or Elsewhere.
#1 Baggu Nylon Shopping Tote
dievca is on a kick to streamline her closets and hidden spaces. It’s not Maria Kondo: KonMari Method, but it is the “try everything on” (clothing) – “wear everything once to make sure before discarding” (handbags, accessories, shoes) and decide if it is going to useful in 5 years.
dievca has been known to keep something unused for 5+ years and then use it till its falling apart the next 5 years. “I know why you bought that” is a common statement via dievca’s Mother, dievca’s friends and Master when sorting her stuff.
dievca does not own crap…. so this is an editor’s edit.
Sometimes it takes 5 rounds before something goes, or not.
dievca hates the thought, “I should have kept that _________ (fill in the blank).”
OK, short version.
Weekly, dievca would like to offer pieces that make it through the rounds of editing and have been really useful in NYC. she suspects that they will be useful to others, too.
In no particular order:
#1: Baggu Reusable Shopping Bags
Can be carried in your hand or over your shoulder. Holds 2-3 plastic grocery bags worth of stuff.
Folds into a flat 5 in. x 5 in. pouch. Holds 50 lbs.
25.5 in. H x 15.5 in. W x 6 in. D.
100% ripstop nylon.
Machine washable.
$10
There are larger and smaller options, if you are interested. (click the link above)
dievca has bought these as gifts for New Yorkers, male and female, knowing they fit into a handbag or backpack easily. They are great for shopping, carrying garbage out of a park, collecting papers – anything you need to schlep in the City. The patterns change seasonally and can make a statement.
Yes, Master has some via dievca.
dievca’s Baggu nylon bags are going on 11 years old. she bought her first ones when the company started in 2007. They hold up and wash well.
dievca also has two Baggu leather bags, but that is more a statement on a classic casual handbag shape.
One in brown, one in black.
